Save on Shipping when You Shop for RC Toys, Planes and Gifts

Shopping online is not only convenient and fun, it also saves lots of time - time that we can spend doing other things.  And it can save us $ money $ too!  I have become completely spoiled, shopping from home in my comfy PJ's and slippers, whilst sipping a cup of hot tea with a warm puppy dog snoozing on my lap.  Ahhhhhh.  And having my purchases delivered right to my door?  What's not to like?

Well, I can think of one thing...  not to like, that is.  When I let something slip up on me and order a gift at the last minute, the cost of express 2-day or overnight shipping by air, can be astronomical - OUCH!  The major shippers' rates for Ground Shipping (e.g., UPS ground, FedEx Ground or Home Delivery) and the cost of USPS Priority Mail are quite reasonable to my way of thinking.  And unless there's a big ice storm making major highways impassable, widespread power outages, or something else causing delays, I can usually expect to receive an order (from a company located in the continental U.S.), a mere three business days after I complete my on-line purchase.  I often receive my goodies 2 days later!  But next-day- and 2nd-day- air shipping prices make me want to cry.  Just because I was a little forgetful or I procrastinated a day or two, now it's gonna take an entire fleet of jet airplanes, mega-quantities of jet fuel, pilots and crews, and who knows how many other folks jumping through umpteen-dozen hoops, to get that all-important item delivered in time?!!!  "Why do today, what you can put off until tomorrow?", you ask.  The cost of overnight shipping is why!  LOL!  It is a testament to American ingenuity and resourcefulness that we have reliable overnight shipping options, but it just hurts my little feelings to pay four to five times as much, because I didn't order that gift a couple of days earlier!

Sending documents overnight via USPS Express Mail in a Flat Rate Envelope is not terribly pricy.  But I rarely, if ever, shop for gifts that will fit in a Flat Rate Envelope!  On our website, RcPlanesandCopters.com, we sell items that range in length and weight from a few inches and ounces, to several feet long and weighing as much as 80 pounds.  For a small foamie RC airplane that costs a maximum of $12-13 to ship via ground shipping or Priority Mail, the cost to ship it overnight, half-way across the US, is over $65.  How depressing!

Last year, in the last few days leading up to Christmas Day, we felt our customers' pain, as they did their last-minute shopping, and encountered the overnight and 2nd-day shipping charges.  Arghhhh!

So we put on our thinking caps and came up with something new, that might just be bordering on genius - lol!  We already offered RC Gift Certificates that could be purchased as late as December 23rd and delivered by email before Christmas Day.  So that was one possible solution.  But we were hoping to offer another alternative as well. 

What we cooked up, is:  "YOUR GIFT IS ON THE WAY."  The way this option works is, if you need an RC Gift FAST, but you want to avoid the added expense of express shipping, then, when you checkout, stick with the normal Ground Shipping method - but provide us with some extra information, so that we can send a colorful, personalized message from you, to the person receiving the gift.  On or before Christmas Day, we will forward a YOUR GIFT IS ON THE WAY message to them (and we'll copy you on the message) (OR - we can send it to you and you can give it to them) to let them know that, being the thoughtful and wonderful person you are, you have purchased their gift, it's on the way to them, but it might not get there before Christmas Day.  We can even include photos of the item(s) you bought for them. 

Here's a SAMPLE:

Pretty cool, huh?  Just think of all the money you will save! The deadline for YOUR GIFT IS ON THE WAY for Christmas 2011, is 10 a.m. Eastern Standard Time on Saturday, December 24th.  That is, you must make your purchase and complete the checkout process by 10 am on Dec 24.

• During Checkout, under "Bill To" complete your information, including your email address and phone number (in case we have questions);

• Under "Ship To", be sure to include the gift recipient's correct email address (or your email address, if you prefer that we send it to you);

• On the next page of Checkout, in the Comments box, type the personal message you want us to include in the email message (there's a sample below).  Also tell us whether you want the email sent that day, or if you want it sent early in the morning, on December 25th. 

• We will do the rest! We will compose and send the message according to your instructions, and we will copy you on the message

•  When the items you purchased ship out, we will send an email message to you that includes shipment tracking information.

Thanks for reading, and thanks for shopping at RC Planes and Copters. 

Happy Holidays!

About Our Business - What's New at RC Planes and Copters December 2011

We Have Moved!  We recently relocated our administrative and customer support offices from Ridgeland to Clinton Mississippi.  We've found that Clinton, which is a Certified Main Street Community, is a great place to live and work. The historic business district has tree-lined brick paved streets that are surrounded by shops, offices and government agencies housed in gorgeous old buildings.  The folks here are very friendly, community-oriented, and everyone supports and appreciates the top-rated Clinton public schools and Mississippi College.  Clinton has several public parks which are great places to enjoy the RC hobby outdoors.  And the Capitol City Radio Control Club's flying field is just minutes away.

One of the great things about running a small business like ours, is that we still have close contact with our customers.  We enjoy talking with them, helping them find what they need, and hearing what they think of the products they purchased.  Their feedback is nearly always positive and customers rarely call us with problems, but when they do, that's helpful too.  We are not satisfied until our customers are satisfied - 100%. If you have any feedback to share, we would love to hear from you!  

Our toll free number is:  1-888-207-3348. 
You can email us:   support@rcplanesandcopters.com.
Or click these links to connect with us -
        on FaceBook:   Facebook.com/pages/RC-Planes-and-Copters 
        or on Twitter:   Twitter.com/RCPlanesCopters

New Arrivals! 

Just in time for Christmas, popular radio control manufacturers Megatech and Venom have introduced two new electric RC helicopters. As of December 10th, they are In Stock and Ready to Ship!  Venom's Ozone Elite and the Whirlwind 3000 from Megatech are both targeted at first-time pilots and those with only minimal flight experience. Both have features typically found on models costing a good bit more and from a quality, fun-quotient and bang for bucks perspective, are worth finding out more about.

The Megatech Whirlwind 3000, recommended for ages 8 and older hovers up to 50 feet - for those with very high ceilings!  The Whirlwind is Ready to Fly in minutes out of the box; just add 6 AA batteries to the transmitter, charge up the onboard LiPO battery pack, and you are set for lift off.  Its 2-stick radio has a built-in charger. A micro motor controls the tail rotor, providing accurate stability and control whether moving forward, backward, left or right.  Electronic and gyroscopic components and weighted fly-bar make for maximum stability while in hovering mode. Retail price is $59.99 but it is currently sale priced at just $42.25. 

For just a few dollars more, Venom's Ozone Elite remote control helicopter is easy-to-fly and man, is it ever great-looking too! The 3.5 channel Ozone Elite is targeted primarily at beginners but has enough features and agility to keep more experienced chopper pilots coming back for more. Its sleek, stylish appearance, ease of operation, and indoors and outdoors capability make the Ozone Elite a welcome addition to Venom's line of quality-constructed, reasonably priced, electric RC helicopters.

Also Ready to Fly out-of-the-box (with the exception of 4 AA batteries), the Elite's high stability is due in part to its counter-rotating rotor design, while maneuverability and control are enhanced by a built-in gyro. For lights-off-in-the-room or night flying outside, utilize the front LED light and multicolored boom lights controllable from the 3.5 Channel transmitter. Recommended for ages 14 and up, the Elite has 2 easily switchable flight modes, Beginner and Advanced, so that once you master the basics, there is plenty more fun ahead. Selling at most retailers for $69.99, the Ozone Elite can be purchased from us for less than $60.00! And like all Venom RC helicopters, is backed by the company's Warranty and toll-free service line.  We carry extra rechargeable LiPo battery packs and the full line of replacement parts.

If you have any questions or if we can help in any way, don't hesitate to ask.  We enjoy hearing from our customers and are glad to help any way that we can.  Keep it safe, and keep it flying!